1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a floor element for a floor heating or cooling system for mounting generally straight, parallel sections of a heat transporting conductor, the element including a sheet that has at least one channel and a layer of heat transfer material that extends over one main surface of the sheet and over each side of respective channels and that forms an upwardly open recess which receives a heat transfer conductor, wherein the upper side of the conductor lies flush with or lower than the upper side of the sheet, and wherein the channels extend completely through the thickness of the sheet. The invention also relates to a process of manufacturing the floor element, for generally straight, parallel sections of a heat transporting conductor.
The inventive floor element thus functions to define a locating path that provides the correct mutual spacing between different parts of a conductor loop that is adapted to deliver heat to the room and to receive heat therefrom respectively. The conductor may, for instance, be a heat-emitting electric cable or a pipe that conveys hot or cold fluid. The floor element is coated with a layer of heat-distributing material, with the intention of achieving essentially uniform distribution of the heating/cooling effect over the surface area of the floor.
However, the invention will be described below primarily with reference to a so-called heated floor, although it will be readily understood that the floor system can be used equally as well for cooling purposes.
2. Description of the Related Art
SE-B468 057 teaches a floor element for floor heating systems. The floor element includes an aluminium plate which is bent to form a plurality of mutually spaced and mutually parallel U-shaped, outwardly open channels/holders for a heat-emitting conductor. The plate is supported by a carrying sheet that has mutually parallel, through-extending slits that receive bent portions of the plate. The sheet, or more specifically ribs, that supports, support, the plate between the bent or folded portions of the plate is are connected to the plate. The floor element is fixed to the sub-floor.
The known floor element has several drawbacks. For instance, the plate is thick and rigid, so as to sustain the physical dimensions of the floor element. Because the plate is rigid, it is not possible to lay a clinker floor directly on or in the proximity of the aluminium plate of said element, in view of the risk of the clinker tiles cracking or loosening as a result of thermal stresses. The cost of laying a further covering layer on such floor elements is an onerous expense. Furthermore, the plate is expensive as a result of its necessary thickness. Cutting of the floor element is also a troublesome procedure, because of the thickness of the plate. Moreover, the plate is relatively heavy and demands a high cost.
The object of the present invention is to provide a floor element with which at least one of the aforesaid problems is eliminated either completely or partially. A further object of the invention is to provide a floor element whose width can be minimised, for instance during its transportation, and which provides a predetermined maximum width with respect to said channels in maximising the width of the floor element. Another object is to provide a favourable method of producing such elements. These objects are achieved with the floor element for mounting generally straight, parallel sections of a heat transporting conductor, such element including a sheet that has at least one channel and a layer of heat transfer material that extends over one main surface of the sheet and over each side of respective channels and that forms an upwardly open recess which receives a heat transfer conductor. The upper side of the conductor lies flush with or lower than the upper side of the sheet, and the channels extend completely through the thickness of the sheet. The heat transfer material is comprised of a thin, readily flexed foil that has a thickness of less than 200 xcexcm, and the second main surface of the sheet is provided with one or more other foils which mutually hold together adjacent sheet parts defined by the channels and which define a maximum distance between said sheet portions corresponding to the diameter of the conductor.
According to a further embodiment, the mounting element includes a lateral slit that extends through the mounting element from the second main surface of the sheet up to the first main surface of the sheet, but not through the heat transfer layer which forms a hinge means between the two mutually foldable parts of the mounting element formed by the slit, such that the mounting element is folded double at the slit for transport purposes.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the other foils are flexible, allowing the element to be pressed laterally into abutment between the adjacent sheet parts that define said channels, for transportation purposes. Pieces of connecting tape are placed on the second main surface so as to bridge the butt loins and therewith stabilise the mounting element.
A method of producing the floor element is by disposing a group of separate, parallel sheet portions that are mutually parallel and spaced at a chosen distance apart in one plane, fixing a stretched flat foil of heat transferring material on one main surface of the group of sheet portions, subsequently reducing the distance between the sheet portions to a chosen value, and applying a piece of holding foil on the opposite main surface of the group to define a corresponding maximum channel width in the mounting element. The width of the heat transfer layer between mutually adjacent sheet portions is chosen to allow the heat transfer layer to extend essentially around half the circumference of a conductor placed in the channel at the same time as the conductor is accommodated between both main surfaces of the element.
The method may further include cutting through the element from one main surface provided with the holding foil, up to the heat transfer foil and then folding the element double at the cut such that the heat transfer foil forms a hinge means.
Additionally, the method may include the step of applying the flexible holding foils and then bringing the sheet portions generally into abutment with one another, and applying pieces of connecting tape to the other main surface of the group of sheet portions so as to stabilise the element, and cutting the pieces of connecting tape prior to mounting the heat transporting conductor in the mounting element.
A method of producing the floor element is set forth in the independent method Claim.
Further embodiments of the invention will be evident from the accompanying dependent Claims.
The inventive floor element can be considered to have a basic structure of the kind disclosed in SE-B468 057, although with the exception that instead of using a relatively thick and rigid aluminium plate as in the solution taught by SE-B468 057, it is proposed in accordance with the invention that the heat-distributing layer of material shall consist of a readily flexible foil that has a thickness of less than 200 xcexcm.
By ensuring that the heat-emitting foil has an adapted free width between mutually adjacent strip-like parts of the sheet supporting the floor element, it is possible to press the heat transferring conductor down between said strips, and to enable the strips to be pressed against opposing sides of the conductor via the aluminium foil, said foil embracing generally half the circumference of the conductor, and said conductor being received between both main surfaces of the sheet. The sheet portions can be fixed mutually either before or after having clamped the conductor.
The use of a relatively thin and easily flexed aluminium foil in accordance with the invention enables the size of the floor element to be readily adapted, by cutting the foil in the channel defined by respective strip-like portions. The slit or channel width can be easily reduced.
The inventive element can be stored and delivered in two different configurations.
In one configuration, the strip-like portions of the supporting sheet may be pressed tightly together laterally and the foil surplus in the slits or channel placed in the join gap or laid flat on one main surface of the sheet. Pieces of adhesive tape may be stuck over the strip joins on the opposite side of the sheet, so as to impart flexural rigidity to the floor element in one direction about a longitudinally extending line. The sheet may also be divided conveniently in its longitudinal centre region by a cut that extends transversely over the longitudinal axis of the strip-like portions, this cut penetrating the sheet to the vicinity of the heat transfer foil which then forms a hinge means about which the sheet can be folded double, said double-folded sheet then forming a unit of sufficient rigidity for handling purposes, due to the aforesaid pieces of adhesive tape. The floor element can be readily arranged for placement on a supportive surface, by first unfolding the element about the hinge means and then cutting through the adhesive tapes at the strip joins.
The generally U-shaped and longitudinally extending channels in the sheet elements that receive the bends of the conductors may be pre-formed in a corresponding floor plate that is provided on its underside with adhesive tape or foil that holds together those parts of the plate that are separated by the channels/conductor slits. A heat conducting foil, for instance aluminium foil, may cover the upper surface of the floor plate, preferably completely.
The floor element normally receives mutually parallel, longitudinal sections of a, e.g., meandering conductor, wherein the conductor sections curved through 180xc2x0 are received in the U-shaped channels in said floor plate. The floor plate and the floor element may be joined together heat-wise, by applying a heat transfer foil that bridges the heat transfer foils of the plate and said element. The floor plate can be formed by using a sheet-blank that consists of a rectangular sheet of plastic foam that is provided on one side with (plastic) foil and on the other main surface with a heat transfer foil, for instance AL-foil. A hot punch corresponding to the channelling required for the curved conductor sections is pressed on the AL-foil side down to the plastic foil, which is suitably heat-resistant, therewith forming channels in the plastic foam for receiving the conductor. The AL-foil may be caused to break roughly at the inner radius of the channelling, wherein the AL-foil is folded down against the outer radius side of the channel. When wishing to reinforce or enhance the transfer of heat, an additional AL-foil can be applied in and along the channel region. However, it is normally sufficient to generally convey heat to those parts of the AL-foil on the plate that lie on the outer radius side of the channel. The flat portions that are separated by the channels are physically held together by the plastic foil.